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wear down. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
wear down, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
wear down in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
wear down you have here. The definition of the word
wear down will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
wear down, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Verb
wear down (third-person singular simple present wears down, present participle wearing down, simple past wore down, past participle worn down)
- To cause (someone) physical or mental fatigue.
The eight hour shift in the mine began to wear Tim down after a few months.
- To eventually persuade or defeat (someone) through persistent effort.
At first she refused to buy the kids sweets, but eventually they wore her down.
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see wear, down.
Synonyms
Coordinate terms
- grind down (often synonymous; sometimes hyponymous)
Translations
to cause physical or mental fatigue
See also